The article discusses Disney's recent layoffs affecting ABC News and Disney Entertainment Networks, including the closure of FiveThirtyEight, a site launched in 2008 by Nate Silver. FiveThirtyEight, renowned for its accurate election predictions, has struggled under Disney's ownership. Silver expressed heartfelt sentiments on social media regarding the hardworking staff's dismissal, criticizing Disney's lack of interest in the site's commercial potential. He attributed the closure partly to inadequate business strategy and resources, highlighting ongoing challenges faced by media properties dealing with profitability.
Oh geez, I just saw the news about 538. My heart goes out to the people there. They were tremendously hard-working and produced a lot of extremely valuable data and insight for everyone who wants to understand politics better. They deserved much better.
The basic issue is that Disney was never particularly interested in running FiveThirtyEight as a business, even though I think it could have been a good business.
We had an incredibly talented editorial staff, but we never had enough 'product' people or strategy people to help the business grow and sustain itself.
It's always an uphill battle under those conditions, particularly when it comes to recruiting.
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